Playoff Football: State title games set

PETER HUGUENIN The Columbus TelegramNovember 14, 2018

Class A

Omaha Burke def. Millard West 35-28: Burke found itself up 21-14 at halftime, but gave up 14 unanswered points in the third quarter, before scoring 14 points of its own. Senior quarterback Tyler Chadwick threw for 173 yards and rushed for 23 yards during the victory. Junior Xavier Watts intercepted two passes. Senior running back James Burks rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns.

Grand Island def. Bellevue West 37-30: 7-seed Grand Island continued its Cinderella run upsetting three-seed Bellevue West in the quarterfinals on Friday. After jumping out to a 14-6 lead after the first quarter, the Islanders never looked back matching Bellevue West stride-for-stride. Senior quarterback Cole Evans threw for 226 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 28 yards and a touchdown.

Class B

Omaha Skutt Catholic def. Waverly 34-14: Omaha Skutt Catholic put together another dominant performance in the semi-finals defeating Waverly. The Skyhawks led 20-0 in the second quarter before the Warriors finally reached the end zone. Skutt outgained Waverly 335-181 on the ground and overcame two turnovers.

Scottsbluff def. York 27-21: Scottsbluff kept its undefeated season in tact defeating York in the semi-finals of the Class B state tournament to reach the title game for the first time since 2000. Senior Keegan Reifschneider intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter setting up the go-ahead touchdown then halting a York comeback.

Class C1

Aurora def. Wahoo 35-10: Undefeated Aurora was able to clinch a spot in the state championship behind senior Baylor Scheierman’s 370 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 26 yards. Senior Cy Bullerman was on the receiving end of two of those touchdowns.

Ord def. Bishop Neumann 37-0: Ord set up its first-ever appearance in a state championship game with a shutout of Neumann. The Chanticleers took a two-score lead on a trick play reverse pass and never looked back. It was a 21-0 lead at halftime before Ord added three more scores in the second half.

Class C2

Centennial def. Oakland-Craig 35-14: Centennial’s senior quarterback Wyatt Ehlers passed for 117 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 126 yards and a touchdown to help propel the Broncos to victory. Ehlers also intercepted a pass on defense. Centennial reaches the title game for the second straight year after losing to Yutan 27-6 last season.

Norfolk Catholic def. Sutton 50-28: Norfolk Catholic clinched a spot in the championship game dropping 50 points on 2-seed Sutton in the semifinals. Dylan Kautz rushed 31 times for 232 yards while fellow running back Evan Smith ran 16 times for 155 yards. The Knights are seeking their state-leading 10th championship.

Peter Huguenin is a sports reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at sports@columbustelegram.com